Great albums out of print as of 4/24/05

Isn't "The Good Earth" the Feelies record produced by Peter Buck? I bought it new at Virgin about 4 years ago.

ESG - ESG

Slovenly are one of my very favourite bands of all time, and I totally endorse this! Never found any of the New Alliance stuff here, so I could really use an extensive comp. And maybe some folk dont know some of their later stuff either? (I have Mike to thank for introducing me to them thru Chemical Imbalance all those years ago and I guess this is my one big chance to thank him for doing me that inestimable favour - sorry to embarrass you Mike, but thanks like about a million times!)

Oh also, what Clock DVA stuff is in print these days?

Weren't Lou Reed's Rock and Roll Heart, The Bells and Growing Up In Public reissued not too long ago? I can't find 'em anywhere. Street Hassle and New Sensations are also scarce.

A lot of 80s noise stuff...
First four Live Skull records
Skullflower's Form Destroyer
Cop Shoot Cop's Headkick Facsimilie (though that went OOP almost as soon as it was released)
Swans - First EP
Drunks With Guns - entire catalog

Although I wouldn't call them great records, Rob Zombie's done a great job of supressing the first two White Zombie albums.

After the Dylan doc aired, I discovered the entire John Jacob Niles is OOP.

Lou Reed - Legendary Hearts
Lou Reed - New Sensations

I'm very much afraid that there's something very seriously wrong with either your speakers or your ears.

It's a long story, but apparently there was some sort of fuck up by Track Records (who were probably somewhat distracted by the fact that they were rapidly going down the pan at the time) which resulted in the original vinyl release sounding horribly muffled; almost as if there was someone holding a pillow either over your ears or in front of your speakers.

I'm told this didn't affect the original cassette release - and I've even heard it suggested that the masters used for the vinyl were actually the wrong ones!

If the sound reproduction - not to mention the distribution - of the original album hadn't been so piss poor, then I strongly suspect that the story of Johnny Thunders; the Heartbreakers; and maybe even (who know?) the entire punk scene in both the UK and the USA; would have unfolded very differently.

That's not to say that the original L.A.M.F. couldn't be advantageously remastered, because I rather suspect it could; but in the meantime, L.A.M.F. The Lost '77 Mixes sounded like a complete revelation to my ears, after having lived with that original vinyl since it first came out.

I excitedly purchased The Lost '77 Mixes as well, listened to it a few times, and put it back on the shelf. While it's definitely preferable to the abortion that is LAMF Revisited, it's not a life-changing punk record for me. The original mix is dirty back alley rock n roll, and I wouldn't want it cleaned up anymore than I'd want Junkyard or Right Now! or Enter The 36 Chambers cleaned up.

The fact remains that L.A.M.F. is out of print, and it will probably never make the transition to CD because of its reputation as being the nadir of audio fidelity. Being a fan of punk + indie music, I've heard way worse recordings than the original L.A.M.F. (waaaayyy worse) and anybody scared off should really give it a listen before they judge. Maybe I'll YSI the thing...

.... as if it really should - as if it really ought to - sound so much better.

I
To me it sounds / sounded as if someone had fucked up the bass EQ; or one of the speaker cones had blown; or someone had draped a duvet over one of the speakers; or you had an earful of wax - or maybe full of water from when I took that shower earlier....

Unfortunately no amount of dicking about (at least none that IIII ever achieved) with either the equipment or a cotton wool bud ever actually managed to put that right, and ultimately only added to the frustration.

Of course you're also absolutely right that people should make up their own minds if and when they get the opportunity rather than just believing what they read.

Always.

About everything.

I'll bet one whole shiny new penny that more than half of them will agree that L.A.M.F. sounds horribly and frustratingly muffled 'though.

Still, great cover pic http://blog.drecom.jp/avallo/img/14/Heartbreakers-LAMF-.jpg

The same recording (and supposedly the same mix / master) as the album - but fuck does it sound better!

Never heard the Chinese Rocks 12", but your tip has certainly put me on the hunt!

Raw Power by The Stooges

I have the original UK cassette and it sounds fine to me. Haven't heard the vinyl so I've nothing to compare it to, but it doesn't exhibit any of the well-documented problems often attributed to the original LP.

I haven't played either of then for a while now, but IIRC Jungle's 'LAMF Revisited' doesn't sound *hugely* different to the Track cassette.

(more on it here - http://stereosociety.com/drumiseverything.html )
(May be the best British pop-jazz record of the early 80s.)

Did Drunks with Guns ever get reissued?

nope

:/

some updates:

Wall of Voodoo - Dark Continent = reish in 2009
Feist - Monarch = apparently feist put this out on vinyl just this past may
Misfits - 12 Hits From Hell = lol
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. = box set from jungle records is supposed to have original track records mix on it
Dog Faced Hermans - Hum of Life = LP reish in 2009
first four Live Skull records = hahahaha
Skullflower's Form Destroyer = nope, this and xaman still OOP, tho IIIrd gatekeeper was reish'd by crucial blast in 2007
Cop Shoot Cop's Headkick Facsimilie = nope
Swans - First EP = think gira's given up on this one
Drunks With Guns - entire catalog = nope
first two White Zombie albums = these were part of the let sleeping corpses lie boxset in 2008, soul-crusher has aged really well and I wish I had repped for it during the 80s album poll

soulcrusher sounds like the birthday party trying to make a metal album

xpost Lick My Decals is avail on Amazon MP3; haven't heard it, but others from them sound good, for MP3s. There's no legit CD version, far as I know, unlike most if not all of his original releases.

Been on a kick going to find a few that I haven't heard in years that I had as a teenager. Other than a boxset, it doesn't look like the Samhain stuff has been printed since the first CDs, which considering the enduring popularity of the Misfits is surprising. Danzig owns those records, so I figure if he wanted them out they would be. Voivod's early catalog is largely out of print and that I would guess is possibly caught in other companies own them and don't care to put them out. I might have to break out and get the MP3s on that one.

Samhain- Initium
Voivod- Nothingface (It's out there as MP3s though...)

One of my favorite albums of all time, Troublegum by Therapy?, is out of print as far as I know. At least in the US.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000008LIX/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1359844877&sr=8-1&condition=used

seriously - i'll buy it and send it over if you want ...

Thanks, but I'll spare you the penny. I still have my copy.

(It is listed used for a penny on the US Amazon site.)